Christian Amanpoor Chief Anchor interviewing Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa (right) on CNN broadcast on the 16th (local time). [CNN 캡처]
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promoted the contents of the interview with foreign media by Minister Kang Kyung-hwa and translated the remarks of the moderator who criticized North Korea’s armed response to the leaflets to the North with the aim of “cracking the warfare”.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Hangul Subtitle Processing Mistake”
Expert “It may seem like a distorted translation”
– In an interview with the US CNN broadcast on the 16th (local time), chief anchor Christian Amanpoor asked Minister Kang about the’Anti-North Korean War Prohibition Act’ (amendment to the South-North Relations Development Act). Minister Kang emphasized the government’s position, saying, “Freedom of expression is not an absolute right.” The case was cited that North Korea fired an anti-aircraft gun at a leaflet balloon in 2014 on the grounds that the leaflet spraying threatened the residents of the border area, and then detonated the Kaesong Liaison Office in June.
After hearing all of Minister Kang’s responses, Amanpoor said, “It really is kind of way out of proportion to react that way, including firing an AA gun to a balloon.” What was blown from the South was not a weapon, but a balloon, which means that North Korea’s response to firing anti-aircraft guns and detonating the office was excessive.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the video to official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts, and delivered Amanfour’s remarks completely differently. In the self-produced Korean subtitle, he translated “It seems to be really important to respond to problems such as spreading leaflets to North Korea or firing from the North.” It sounds as if the government and the ruling party agree with the purpose of the anti-shear law, which was created to prevent the spread of leaflets.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that it was a simple mistake. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Because there are many interviews, it was a mistake that occurred during the translation process.” I will look better so that there are no errors in the future.” As of the afternoon of the 21st, the Korean subtitles for that part have been revised to be “An anti-aircraft gunnery in the North Korean leaflet, so the equity was greatly offended.”
However, while the United Nations and the U.S. Congress expressed their concern about the anti-North Korea warfare law, some point out that it is difficult to see this sensitive information incorrectly, especially the interview contents of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is even more so considering that Amanpur is a renowned expert in international affairs, recognized at home and abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the number of interviews was large, but the total amount of interviews was only 13 minutes and 6 seconds.
Hee-suk Shin, a legal analyst at TJWG, a human rights investigation and recording organization, said, “It is sufficient that foreign media reports are deliberately distorted and translated. He pointed out that the government should not incite international embarrassment in this way, but humbly accept the concerns of human rights violations in the international community, including the United Nations.”
Reporter Dayoung Kim [email protected]
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